


and it's a big big world (and a big big heart's got so much love to give)

by lyingleia



Series: that childhood bestfriends au [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, M/M, childhood best friends au, dorks being dorks together, dumb dorks in love, hints of romance, only a smidge though, so much fluff i gagged, technically a kid fic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 03:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2717687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyingleia/pseuds/lyingleia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p> <br/>They called him the <em>King of the Court,</em> Tobio knew. He wasn't stupid enough to not realize what it meant. It wasn't a compliment, no matter how much Shouyou insisted that it was. He knew he was seen as a tyrant, a dictator. He was demanding and relentless. It was always whispered behind his back as he served, and spat in his face after another missed toss.</p><p>It was fair, he thought. He’d rather be the self-centered king who conquered. </p><p>He didn’t care about being called a selfish king. He would be selfish, hoarding his best tosses and doing his best best, <em>best at everything else </em>because Shouyou couldn't play yet. Shouyou couldn't play with him yet, so he had to win for the both of them. He had to. </p><p>Losing wasn't an option.</p><p> **</p><p>(aka the Middle School Arc set after the events of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2158356">(and right from the start) i hear your heart beating right in time with mine.</a> Our favorite duo being dumb about life and dumb about each other. Childhood best friends AU=<3)</p>
            </blockquote>





	and it's a big big world (and a big big heart's got so much love to give)

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know anymore, ya'll. Enjoy?

 

Tobio watched the ball zip through the air, the feel of it in his fingertips as he’d tossed it lingering seconds after it left, and knew without even looking that Shouyou was already flying, eyes closed and palm open. The loud _thwack_ of the ball slamming into the ground was even more satisfying that it usually was because Shouyou was _here_. His best friend was playing in the court, with him—right where he belonged.

_And the crowd went wild._

 

##

 

“Jump higher!” Tobio barked, glaring at his teammate. “How many times have you missed the ball already?!”

“Ah, sorry.” Kunimi muttered, not looking particularly apologetic.

“Tch.”

He spun around to stare down the rest of the team, all of whom had varying expressions of distaste on their faces.

“You all have to jump faster! _Higher_! If none of you can even hit my tosses, what’s the point of you playing?! Why are you even here?!” He said, angry because these guys couldn’t even hit his easier tosses, how did they deserve to be here when _Shouyou_ —

“It’s not our fault your tosses are so hard to hit, _King_. If you made it easier, then maybe we’d actually be able to score. Seriously, isn’t that your job as a setter? It’s only been a few months since you took over from Oikawa-senpai and you already suck at it.” Kindaichi said, eyes hard.

“What. Did. You. Say.” Tobio gritted out.

“Yeah, yeah!” Yamato, a middle blocker, agreed. “You keep on giving Hinata your easy tosses and having him score! We get it, he’s your best friend, he’s short, you wanna give him his fifteen minutes of fame, whatever, we like him and all but that’s unfair man, really selfish. He’s not even a regular! We work as hard as him and—”

“Take that back.”

“—what?” Yamato asked, looking confused and increasingly nervous at the look on Tobio’s face.

“Take back what you said!” Tobio repeated, voice getting louder, earning the attention of nearby club members and the coaches. The low thrumming in his temple intensified.

“Kageyama—” Mitsukawa-san started.

“ _None_ of you work as hard as him—you don’t know half of what he’s going through—you have no right to say shit about him! Stop spouting stupid nonsense because _none_ of you will ever be the player he is— _none of you deserve to be in this fucking team as much as he does!!_ ” He bellowed, voice coming out hoarse and shaky in his anger.

The whole team stared at him wide-eyed, shocked at his outburst. The gymnasium was quiet except for his harsh inhalations and he couldn’t hear anything but his own loud heartbeat and the pounding in his head.

“Kageyama, go cool your head. Come back when you’re not about to blow your head over some of your teammate’s honesty. Not only are you our setter, but you’re a senior. Think before you speak next time.” The coach scolded, voice firm and disapproving.

Feeling oddly betrayed, Kageyama could only stare at him incredulously because _what?_ What did he just say? The coach also knew about Shouyou’s struggles, saw him practice every day. What part of the bullshit that Yamato had said was honesty?

“Go.”

Grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, he turned and marched out the door, slamming it closed behind him and taking satisfaction at how loud it was.

He was bent over the outside sinks, cooling his head off under the water’s spray, when he felt something drape over his shoulders. Keeping his eyes closed, he groped for the faucet, shut it, and straightened up. Immediately, he felt hands gently dry off his hair, calming him considerably more than the water had. He let himself enjoy it for a few moments before he spoke up.

“Shou.”

“Hm?” came the soft reply.

He felt the towel pat his face dry, still painfully gentle.

Tobio gripped Shouyou’s wrists, stopping his ministrations. He opened his eyes and saw his best friend’s expression. The words he was about to voice abruptly dried out.

“Don’t be so hot-headed next time, dumbass Kageyama.” Shouyou chided, pulling at his fringe and giving him a soft smile. His eyes were shining and his lips were wobbling, trying so hard to keep the smile pasted on his face. Tobio felt a lump form in his throat and tightened his grip.

He bowed his head and nodded.

 

##

 

“One more!!” Shouyou screamed breathlessly.

Tobio stared at him, eyes narrowed at his best friend’s slumped form. He was exhausted and it was showing, which was worrying because his stamina was almost always endless. He couldn’t even stand properly anymore, with legs shaking visibly, and his face was dripping with sweat, hair matted down and lacking its usual vibrance.

 “You’re exhausted, dumbass! Don’t keep asking for more!” Tobio scolded, ignoring the looks they were garnering from their teammates.

He stomped towards his best friend, intent on dragging him off and getting him to rest, even if it meant he had to chain him against a tree.

“Please! One more!” Shouyou pleaded, looking at their coach, who only shook his head.

“No. You need to learn to pace yourself. Exhausting yourself everyday will not result in your improvement. You will only do yourself harm in the future if you continue.” The coach stated, giving him a disapproving shake of his head.

Shouyou looked devastated.

“But Coach! I need to—”

“You need to realize that you are not fit to become a regular at your current state. There are other players who are better than you in everything, your quicks with Kageyama notwithstanding. The only thing you can do now is practice, _at a healthy pace_ , and better your overall performance. I don’t need a player who is only good at spiking. You will have your shot at the Interhigh next year.”

“But I—”

“Shou.”

His best friend turned to look at him, quietly imploring. He shook his head. Shouyou blinked, and slowly clenched his fists, visibly frustrated but willing to concede.

“Osu.”

Later, as they were walking towards the train station, the sun slowly descending behind them and the silence between them strained and unnatural, Tobio spoke up.

“Coach was right. You need to pace yourself better. You’re going to get hurt if you keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

He glanced at his side and was surprised to see his best friend not at his usual spot beside him. He turned slightly and found him a few steps behind. He stopped and turned fully to face him.

“Hey, did you hear me?” he asked. “Oi!!”

“But it’s not fair!!!” Shouyou exploded, making Tobio jump in surprise. “How am I supposed to get better if I don’t practice hard enough?! I know my receives suck and my serves are unusable and I’m too fucking short to be anything but a libero! I want to get better at them fast!! I want to spike your tosses! I want to play in the court with everybody else! I don’t want to get left behind!”

Shouyou’s eyes were shining and red around the edges. He’d obviously been trying to hold back his tears the whole way. Tobio had noticed them earlier but had chosen not to comment because he hadn’t wanted to embarrass him. He felt a prick of guilt at not doing anything sooner.

“I hate this!! I’m trying so hard to get better but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough!! At this rate, I won’t get to play with you on matches—I have to keep practicing! I have to get better soon! I have to catch up to you!”

He sighed.

“Okay.”

Shouyou blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

“Okay.” Tobio repeated. “We’ll keep practicing before and after practice, at lunch, at corridors, at home, _anywhere_ —we’ll keep practicing. You’re going to get better.”

And Shouyou, with his shining eyes, gave him a shaky smile.  

“Osu.”

 

##

 

“If you had to choose between having each other versus being able to play volleyball, which one would you choose?”

Tobio glance at Shouyou, seeing him mirror his own confusion at the question. They both turned to Izumi.

“What do you mean?” Tobio asked, tone unnecessarily harsh. Seriously, what was up with that question? It was dumb. He was about voice how stupid it was when he felt Shouyou’s elbow dig into his side, his best friend giving him a _look_ over the bag of meat buns he was currently rummaging in. They’d bought it as treats after managing to survive the hours and hours of speeches over their graduation ceremony. The principal, in particular, had a lot about to say about spreading their wings and flying out of the nest, which what? They’d graduated from _elementary school_ , not high school. It wasn’t that much of an achievement.

 _Stupid principal_ , he grumbled internally.

“E-eh? Um…” Izumin flustered, looking down at the ground.

Shouyou nudged him, offering the bag.

“There better be some pork curry left.” Tobio threatened, narrowing his eyes at the other boy suspiciously.

Shouyou waved him off, shifting his grip on his bike to adjust his bad. It was probably digging on his shoulders again. He made a mental note to check out some bags the next time they went to the shopping center. Shouyou’s birthday was still a few months away but it was better he bought a gift early so he could hide it somewhere while his best friend wasn’t snooping around trying to look for it.

“I mean…” Izumi spoke up again, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Me and Koji were talking about how you guys are obsessed with each other and volleyball—”

“ _We are not_!” came their immediate protest, although at this point of their friendship they all knew it to be true and they only offered protests because it was habit and also because Tobio thought it was embarrassing to outright admit it. He still had his pride, darn it.

“—and if there was ever a chance where you’d choose one over the other, what that choice would be?” Izumi finished, ignoring them.

“What’s it to you?” Tobio couldn’t help but snap, irritated.

Shouyou rolled his eyes and regarded their friend thoughtfully.

“Eh, why do we have to choose one when we can have both?” Shouyou asked, eyes bright and intense in the way it always was when he managed to spike Tobio’s fastest tosses, which was becoming more and more frequent these days. Tobio couldn’t help a smirk at the thought,   feeling a bit proud.

He reached out and ruffled Shouyou’s hair in agreement, eyes glued to his best friend’s answering grin.

Izumi hummed.

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

 

##

 

‘I want to be like that.’ Tobio thought, watching Oikawa’s back arch gracefully and the ball soar through the air from his careful fingers. He marveled at his easy command of the team, his good-natured banter with the ace, his cool, calculated manner of using each player’s strengths, turning weaknesses into well-honed weapons and _wanted_.  

“Eh, you’re better!”   

Thrown out of his thoughts, he turned to look at Shouyou, immediately noticing the uncharacteristically sour look in his face, eyebrows pinched together and eyes narrowed at their seniors. He was pouting.

“What’s up with you?” he asked, tone unconsciously harsh. “What’re you sulking about now?”

Shouyou looked at him, expression now earnest.   

“He’s good but you’re better! There’s no need to look at him like he’s _that_ great, ‘cause he’s not. Not at all.”       

Something warm bloomed in his chest and spread up his face. Suddenly, he felt hot. Frowning, he turned back to the match in front of them.

“Shut up, dumbass.”

 

##

 

They called him the King of the Court, Tobio knew. He wasn’t stupid enough to not realize what it meant. It wasn’t a compliment, no matter how much Shouyou insisted that it was. He knew he was seen as a tyrant, a dictator. He was demanding and relentless. It was always whispered behind his back as he served, and spat in his face after another missed toss.

It was fair, he thought. He’d rather be the self-centered king who conquered. He’d earned them wins, didn’t he?  He worked hard to be able to give out his tosses, and he expected people to do the same kind of work to spike them. Volleyball wasn’t a game to be half-hearted about, after all. Either you did your best or you got out of the court. Winners won because they worked for it, talent was nothing if you had no skill.

Players who half-assed didn’t deserve to be on the court.

It was fair, he thought, as he watched Shouyou face among the audience. He was cheering as hard as he could, face red and turning his voice hoarse so Tobio could hear _You better win this for us you bastard!_ clearly among the cacophony of noise, could know that he wasn’t alone even if he didn’t have his best friend on the court with him.

Why should he be merciful when his teammates didn’t work hard enough for their place on the team? Always complaining about practice being hard, how they couldn’t get girlfriends, how they couldn’t even go on vacations _. Then why are you even here?_ Tobio wanted to snarl at them. _Why can’t you be grateful that you’re on the team?_ He wanted to scream at them. _Quit already, so Shouyou can play._ He wanted to demand. _None of you deserve your place!_

He didn’t care about being called a selfish king. He would be selfish, hoarding his best tosses and doing his best best, _best at everything else_ because Shouyou couldn’t play yet. Shouyou couldn’t play with him yet, so he had to win for the both of them. He had to. Losing wasn’t an option.

He served.

 

##

 

“Ouch! Hey! Stop it already! I’m fine!” Shouyou whined, arms up to defend himself from Tobio’s assault.

“Obviously not, dumbass!!” Tobio snapped, pulling the arms away from his friend’s face. He glared at the scratches and the darkening bruise on Shouyou’s face, seething.

“But Yama!! You’re hurting me!” Shouyou insisted, wrapping his fingers around Tobio’s wrists, eyeing the cotton ball and antiseptic he was holding in each hand and cringing.

Tobio felt the low thrumming in his temple grow stronger and sighed.

“Stop being a baby!” he scolded, shaking off the restraining fingers. “You can take falling on your face multiple times so you can take this!”

“But—Ow!! Quit it!!”

“Fine!” he barked, throwing the cotton ball away in frustration. The chair screeched as he stood up and gathered the first aid supplies from the table and angrily stomped towards the bathroom to put it back.

He hated the uncomfortable heavy feeling simmering under his skin. It made him gnash and grin his teeth, eyebrows knit even tighter and his knuckles turn white with how hard he was clenching them.

“Stupid, _dumbass_ Hinata.” he muttered, placing the kit in its usual place underneath the sink.

Straightening up, he glanced at the mirror and jumped at Shouyou’s reflection standing behind him.

“Dumbass! Don’t do that!” he snapped, turning around to glare at his best friend properly, feeling his heart rate slow down in increments.

Shouyou’s lips quivered and his big hazel eyes watered. Tobio felt guilt pool in his stomach and got even more irritated because what the hell was he feeling guilty for?! He clearly wasn’t the guilty party in this!

Rolling his eyes, he opened his arms, pretending to be as reluctant as he should be but actually wasn’t. Shouyou immediately buried himself in his embrace, tucking his head underneath Tobio’s chin and sniffling.

“We’re too old to be doing this, idiot.” he chided, although his arms tightened around his best friend nonetheless.

“I dun’ care,” was the muffled reply.

 Shifting so he was leaning against the sink, he sighed and started rubbing soothing circles on the other boy’s back.

“Are you going to tell me why you got into a fight now?” he asked.

Shouyou shook his head. Tobio couldn’t help but sigh again.

“Seriously, sometimes you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

That statement earned him a pinch in his stomach.

“You love me anyway.” Shouyou mumbled.

Tobio shrugged. Smirking, he carded his fingers through the other boy’s hair, petting him for a moment before pulling hard. Shouyou yelped and immediately pushed him away, whining.

“You’re so mean!” Shouyou complained. “I don’t know why I put up with you!”

Tobio pinched his nose, unable to help himself from teasing his best friend further. Shouyou struggled to get out of his clutches.

“Stop whining and tell me what happened already.”

 Shouyou stopped struggling, his outstretched arms that had been previously waving about falling to his sides. Tobio straightened at the look on his face, his hand dropping as well.

“What happened?” he repeated, tone turning serious. “Have they been harassing you again?”

Some of their teammates constantly heckled his best friend about his height and he knew that Shouyou was as insecure about it as he always was, always would be.

Shouyou shook his head.

“You know I don’t care about that.”

Tobio snorted but bit back his reply. There were more important things at hand here.

“They kept calling you that _name_ and they wouldn’t listen to me when I told them to quit it.”

He couldn’t help rolling his eyes at that.

“You know _I_ don’t care about that.”

And wasn’t that the truth. He really couldn’t care less what they all thought of him and it always baffled him as to why Shouyou was the complete opposite.

“Well, _I_ care about it.” Shouyou snapped at him.

Tobio felt an eyebrow rise.

“At first I thought it was really cool that you got called ‘king’, because it meant other people thought you were awesome too, right?” Shouyou continued, ignoring his expression, and looking furious now. “But I heard a bunch of guys talking about it, calling you selfish and mean and a tyrant and—and it’s not fair!”

“But _I am_ , though. I am selfish and mean and demanding.” Tobio cut in, confused as to why Shouyou was bothered by all this. It was just a name, wasn’t it? And it wasn’t like he hadn’t earned it. He was demanding because he needed the other players to give their all at their games, not just a half-assed play, against even the weakest teams. He was mean because he still wanted to be the best, and being nice wasn’t going to get him at the top.

“Yeah—but they don’t know _why_. They don’t know you’re demanding and relentless because you work twice as hard as them when they think you’re just using you’re talent and they always think they’re already strong enough when they could be _better_. They don’t know that you’re selfish because of _me_. Because I can’t play with you and you don’t want other people spiking your tosses, because most of the time they’re for me and you’ve never had anyone else hitting them so you don’t know how to adjust when you _know_ they can be spiked. They don’t understand anything about you and it makes me so mad that they’d say things about you when they don’t know _anything_.”

By the end of his tirade, Shouyou was panting and looked ready to cry again, sniffling slightly and rubbing his eyes furiously. He looked frustrated and exhausted. Tobio stared at him.

And _this_ was why Shouyou was his best friend, why anyone wouldn’t even come close to his importance on Tobio’s life. Shouyou was all kinds of stupid and annoying, he was clingy and possessive, always whining and demanding attention, but he _cared_. He was stubborn, he was kind and patient and loyal and Tobio would sooner give up on volleyball than give up on Shouyou.

Which was to say, _never_.

Tobio firmly ignored the warm, fuzzy feeling in his gut and reached out to grasp bright orange hair. He took a moment to marvel at its softness before he pulled at the fringe again. Shouyou yelped.

“Seriously, you’re going to make me bald if you don’t _stop doing that_! Ow—ow— _ow_!!”

“Dumbass!” he said, paying no attention to the other boy’s grumbling. “Stop worrying about stupid shit like that. I don’t care about them and what they say so you shouldn’t either.”

“But—Yama—OUCH! _HEY_!”

“Forget about them and let’s go. I wanna see if you’re receives and serves are still shit, ‘cause if they are you better believe I’ll have you do a thousand. Each. _Every. Single. Day_.” He stated, keeping eye contact and seeing Shouyou’s eyes widen in horror.

Satisfied that Shouyou was appropriately cowed, he let go of his hold and dragged his whimpering best friend to his house, where the flimsy net that they considered a court was waiting for them.

 

##

 

“I’m Kageyama Tobio from Akiyama Elementary School. I’ve been playing volleyball since second grade. I look forward to working with you.”

“That’s a pretty early start.” The coach commented, eyes looking him up and down critically. “What position do you prefer?”

Tobio’s gaze, which had previously been directed at the coach, shifted to the older boy behind him. Oikawa Tooru, reported to be the most promising setter in the prefecture and the mind behind the great plays that had gotten Kitagawa Daiichi going head to head with Shiratorizawa Middle School Academy’s ace. The older boy gave him a curious rise of an eyebrow.

“I’m a setter.”

 

##

 

“Are you sure you’re not lost?”

Tobio watched red erupt across Shouyou’s cheeks at the upperclassman’s quip and frowned.

“Y-yes! I’m Hinata Shouyou from Akiyama Elementary and I’ve been playing volleyball since my second year. I want to be the ace! Like the Little Giant!”

Immediately, the surrounding upperclassmen erupted into laughter.

“You?! An _ace_?! Are you joking?!! And who’s this Little Giant? A circus performer?!”

“Man, he must be! There’s no way such a little guy would be an ace! No way, no way!”

“Eh, you mean that guy from Karasuno? Kid, you’re smaller than him! And Karasuno only went to the Nationals because Shiratorizawa’s players were weak this year!! So don’t get your hopes up!”

He felt his eyebrows twitch, gritting his teeth. He rarely, if ever, tolerated other people bullying his best friend. He looked at Shouyou and felt pride at the fact that he hadn’t made any visible reaction to their taunts. His height would always be a sensitive topic and it would always hurt. Add in the fact that they’d insulted his idol…

Shouyou’s ears were red and his hands were clenched but his shoulders were still straight and his eyes were as bright as they always were when he was holding a ball. Looks like he'd completely ignored the Karasuno comment, which was good because they might've been thrown out if he hadn't.

Tobio relaxed, his lips forming a small smirk.

“I may be small but I can jump!!”

 

##

 

“Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Tobio-nii-chan!!! Welcome hooooome!” Natsu exclaimed as soon as Tobio opened the door and removed his shoes, arms outstretched.

Obliging, he bent over and scooped her into his arms. She nuzzled his neck and giggled as he tickled her side.

“I’m home.” he called out, setting down his bag in the living room before padding to the kitchen where auntie Hinata was currently preparing dinner. She turned from the stove at his arrival and gave him a fond pat on the cheek.

“Welcome home, Tobio-chan. I hope you’re hungry, we’re having curry tonight.”

He nodded.

“Is Shouyou still at school? I asked him to buy some ingredients at the store.”

“He dropped by at the one a few blocks away. He was taking too long so I came ahead. Did you have him buy a lot? Should I go back?” he asked, prying Natsu’s fingers away from his hair. She had had a strange fixation on it since she was a baby, which resulted in him losing a bunch over the years whenever he carried or played with her.

“No, it’s okay. I only had him buy some milk and potatoes. I forgot to buy some when I went earlier.” she replied, turning back to her cooking. “Oh! I almost forgot. Your mother called, she said she was planning on visiting next week.”

Tobio blinked, surprised. His mother hadn’t mentioned anything about visiting when she’d called a few nights ago.

“Did she say why?” he asked, cautious. He hadn’t done anything wrong, had he? His grades were okay, that is, he wasn’t in any danger of failing any class, and he hadn’t gotten into a fight since his first year.

“Hmm, no, not really.” she said, thoughtful. She gave him a smile over her shoulder and Tobio marveled at how identical it was to her children’s for possibly a hundredth time. “I suspect she just wants to see you. She is your mother, after all. Mothers always worry when they’re apart from their children. And anyway, she hasn’t visited for a few months, has she?”

“Yes. She’s been busy. I just—she doesn’t need to work. That bastard—I mean my father gives us more than enough.” He mumbled, conceding defeat and letting Natsu do what she wanted with his hair, enduring patiently.

“Your mother has always been the independent, career-oriented type. She has her pride as a woman and a mother. She wants to provide for you too. But,” at this she turned to face him again, a serious expression on her face, “You know she loves you, right? She would pack her bags and quit her job to come home if you ever said so.”

He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and nodded, uncomfortable.

“I just wish she didn’t have to _come home_ in the first place,” he couldn’t help but say. Auntie always seemed to have the power to make him say the things he didn’t want to say to anyone, much more than his own mother. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

She gave him a look, eyes shrewd, before smiling softly, reaching out to pat his cheek once again.

“We love you, Tobio-chan. You’re a Hinata, even if a piece of paper says otherwise. Same with your mom. A burden, you are definitely not. Okay?” she said quietly, but it hit him in his chest. He wasn’t sure what to say and could only manage a soft,

 “Yeah.”

She turned back to the stove just as Natsu started squirming and demanding attention, apparently having had her fill of his hair for the moment.

“Nii-chan! Play!”

“Now, now, Natsu-chan. Tobio-nii-chan just got home. He needs to rest.” Auntie chided.

“But—but!!”

Tears were rapidly gathering in Natsu’s eyes as she stared at him pleadingly and even though he _knew_ he was being shamelessly manipulated by a toddler, he quickly relented.

“It’s okay. We didn’t do much at practice today. I can play with her for a while.” he offered, much to Natsu’s screaming delight.

“Well, if you’re sure. Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”

He nodded and carried the babbling toddler to the living room, listening to her trying to decide whether she wanted to play tea party or house.

Shouyou got back just as the tea party had turned into Tobio teaching Natsu the finer points of tossing.

“Brainwashing her already, Yama? You’ve been working hard.” His best friend quipped after watching a fascinated Natsu try to keep up with Tobio’s increasingly complex explanations.

He frowned.

“Shut up.”

“Nii-chan~!!!” came the toddler’s joyful cry as she pounced on her older brother.

“You’re gonna drop her.” he warned as Natsu wriggled jubilantly in her brother’s arms.

Shouyou laughed.

“Don’t be such a worrywart! I have her, she’s fine. Right, Natsu-chan?”

“Right!”

Tobio rolled his eyes.

 

##

 

There was only about ten minutes left of the lunch break and Tobio could feel his stomach rumble with hunger. He caught the ball as it descended and straightened up from his receiving crouch.

 “Hey, let’s stop.”

Shouyou immediately pouted.

“But I still wanna practice!” he whined, and Tobio wanted to hit him.

“We haven’t even eaten lunch yet, dumbass. I’m not going to skip lunch just for you.”

At that, his best friend gave a start, rubbing his stomach. Tobio snorted and went to where he’d placed their bentos by a nearby window.

“Oh, yeah.” Shouyou brightened. “What did you make me today? Ugh, is it something with those weird protein powders again? I hated those!”

“Stop whining! See for yourself!” Tobio snapped, pushing the packaged lunch into the other boy’s arms and sat down, watching as he carefully pried the cover open.

“Uwah!!!!! It’s a [volleyball bento](http://dzt1km7tv28ex.cloudfront.net/u/422855261317758976_35s_d.jpg)!! With a crow!! With orange hair!! Is it me?!!!” Shouyou exclaimed. Tobio was pretty sure his best friend was about to start crying in joy, there were actual tears gathering in his eyes.

“You’ve been working hard.” He grumbled, turning his attention towards his own lunch. Unlike Shouyou’s, it was simple but still pretty tasty. He was grateful that his mom had had the foresight of teaching him how to cook over the years. He liked to do their lunch in an effort of lessening auntie Hinata’s workload and so far they had all been edible.

Suddenly, there were arms around him, and Tobio almost had his lunch wasted. Annoyed, he elbowed Shouyou to let him go but the other boy didn’t budge.

“Hey! I’m trying to eat here!”

“I love you so much, Yama,” was whispered against his ear.

Tobio felt his face heat up and couldn’t resist a soft _dumbass_ in reply.

 

##

 

Tobio heard the crowd’s incredulous whispers as Yamato was subbed out and Shouyou came in. He smirked, exhilarated because _finally_.

“Not bad for an official debut eh, Hinata? Three years in the making!” Kindaichi said as Shouyou got into his place in the current rotation.

“Better late than never, I suppose.” Kunimi quipped quietly from his place at the back.

“Yeah.” Shouyou said, attention trained on their opponents at the other side of the net.

Tobio doubted he’d heard their teammates. His eyes were focused and the fluidity of his movements told Tobio that his best friend was at the top of his form. Definitely not bad for his first game.

“Shou.” he called out, immediately earning a glance from the other boy. He held out a fist.

Shouyou’s eyes lit with understanding and he quickly turned to bump his fist against Tobio’s.

“We’re going to win.” Tobio stated matter-of-factly.

The answering grin made him feel warm down to the tips of his toes.

 

##

 

“Man, I kind of feel bad for Hinata-senpai. He works so hard for something he’ll never get, you know?”

Tobio stopped dead in his tracks, the milk he’d bought from the nearby vending machine halfway to his mouth.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s like, he’s just wasting his time! Why doesn’t he just become a libero?! But then again, his receives suck!  They’re worse than mine and I’m a total beginner! Hasn’t he been playing for like, seven years now?”

“His jumping is the only thing that’s impressive about him and that’s just because he’s so short! I don’t think he’ll ever be tall enough for any other position.”

“In fact, he should just give up on volleyball altogether and play another sport like baseball or something else that doesn’t need height. He always looks pathetic.”

All three underclassmen jumped and turned around, their eyes growing wide with fear when they saw him and the overturned garbage can under his foot.

“Kageyama-senpai!”

He narrowed his eyes at them and sneered.

“Don’t talk smack about a guy who works ten times as hard as you. I’d like to see any one of you do Hinata’s practice routine, instead of gossiping like a bunch old maids. I doubt you’d even last an hour, judging by how you whine during practice.”

He shifted his glare to the one who’d had the gall to call Shouyou pathetic.

“You. Come with me.” he barked, relishing the jump and panicked expression it earned him.

He turned and started walking.

“Quit riding your school’s coattails. None of you even deserve to be on the team.” he threw over his shoulder as they departed.

“S-senpai?” the underclassman in question squeaked out after they’d been walking for a few minutes.

“Hinata runs with the track team every morning before class and practices his receives and serves with the volleyball girls’ team during lunch. Then he joins the basketball team every weekend for his jumps. Any free time he has he spends with me practicing our quick.” he narrated, glancing at the other boy and smirking at his dumbfounded expression.

“I—I see…”

They turned around a corner and continued walking until they arrived at the gym the girls’ volleyball team used. Already, he could hear Shouyou’s enthusiastic yelling accompanied by the familiar sounds of balls hitting various surfaces and appendages. He led the underclassman inside and towards the captain.

“Excuse me.”

She turned to him curiously. He gestured toward the other boy.

“My kohai told me he would like to join your team’s practice alongside Hinata. Would that be okay?”

Satomi-san, looking highly amused, shrugged. The underclassman’s face fell. It seemed he’d actually been hoping that she’d turn him down. Tobio smirked. As if. In exchange of being able to practice with them, Shouyou had to help clean up the gym after they were done. He doubted Satomi-san would turn down any extra help.

“He’s welcome to try and keep up with my girls. We’re not in the top four in the prefecture for nothing. Although, Hinata-kun seems to be enjoying himself so I think I need to improve our training regime further. Can’t have the boys’ team thinking they’re better than us, can we?” Satomi-san said, lips stretching into a wide smile that sent shivers up Tobio’s spine.

He could only nod in thanks, unable to say anything in the face of her smile.

Shouyou, having finally noticed them, came bounding over with a grin like an overeager puppy. Tobio braced himself for the incoming tackle-hug that his best friend never failed to give him at every opportunity.

“Yama!!” was screamed in his ear. Tobio winced. “What’re you doing here?! Came to see how awesome I’m getting, did you?!!!”

Ignoring his clinging best friend, he turned his attention to the underclassman he had brought with him, idly wondering what his name even was. It was something with an H, wasn’t it? Hibiki? Hidataka? _Hidefumi???_ Well, considering that he’d said ‘pathetic’ and ‘Shouyou’ in the same sentence, he figured it wasn’t worth the effort of trying to remember.

“You’re going to start doing the same practice routine Hinata does from now on. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to the coach. He won’t say no.”

There was something really juvenile about enjoying watching hope wither out and die in someone’s eyes, but whatever.

“B-but—Senpai—!!”

“Oh? Are you saying you can’t?” He narrowed his eyes and relished the other boy’s gulp. “ _Pathetic._ ”

“I—that’s not—I mean—”

“Whaaaaat? You’re gonna join me?” Shouyou tilted his head delicately, like a curious bird. There was a look of concern on his face that Tobio could immediately tell was fake. He raised an eyebrow. Had Shouyou overheard this particular underclassman talk shit about him too?

“Are you sure you can handle it?” his best friend asked, tone holding the same note of concern his face was projecting.

The other boy turned a bright red.

“I—that is—YES!!”

Immediately, Tobio could see the horror and regret the annoying brat felt at his own proclamation. He hummed and turned to Shouyou, who now sported a familiar mischievous expression. Tobio almost, _almost_ felt sorry for bringing the pitiful guy here.

“I’m leaving him to you, then.” he stated.

Shouyou grinned wolfishly.

“Leave it to me!”

He wondered if he should feel guilty but opted not to dwell on it. It wasn’t often his best friend got to play pranks on anyone but Tobio and seeing they only had a few months left till graduation, he decided to let him have his fun and leave it at that.

A week later, the underclassman—who was apparently named Hayato or Hayate or possibly even Hataki, he didn’t care enough to check—resigned from the club.

Judging from Shouyou’s gleeful expression, Tobio thought it was best not to ask.

 

##

 

It wasn’t like Tobio didn’t understand why the very sight of Shouyou on the court—short, delicate-looking Shouyou, with his bright hair and small shoulders and skinny body—baffled people, because he did. He wasn’t stupid—not as much as his best friend insisted that he was anyway—and he was most definitely _not_ blind. He knew Shouyou though, knew that his height was just that—a number that could be changed, a hurdle that could be overcome —and it wasn’t as much as a weakness that people thought it was. He knew him better than anybody, maybe even better than he knew himself.

Some days though, Tobio worried that maybe he was helping him push himself farther than his body could take and Shouyou would _break_ , just like that, wide smile gone and bright eyes dimmed. Some days, as he watched his best friend struggle to overcome something out of his control and constantly face people’s genuine disbelief and relentless taunting, he blamed himself for introducing volleyball to the other boy’s life. Maybe if he hadn’t, Shouyou wouldn’t have an almost crippling insecurity about his height; maybe he wouldn’t have to hold back the persistent urge to maimas he watched his best friend push and push and _push_ himself to be better and inevitably collapse in exhaustion, unable to hold back his tears of frustration as he asked why his body was betraying him.

Maybe he should’ve just quit all those years ago, when his dad had left. Shouyou wouldn’t have followed him to Kitagawa Daiichi in the first place and maybe they’d actually enjoy being in middle school, no stupid competitions, no exhausting practice, no teammates and senpais that brought them down instead of up, never have to think about getting better, better than everyone in the prefecture, the country, always straining for that elusive _number_ _one_.

Maybe they both would’ve been happier, without volleyball.

Tobio watched Shouyou’s delicate form as he jumped, throwing his all into it like usual, small hands slamming the ball down and sending it spinning away, and marveled at the beam directed his way.

“Yama!! Did you see that?!!”

_I would give up **anything** to keep you smiling like that. _

“How awesome was that?! One more!!!!”

And Tobio remembered the countless grins exchanged over successful quicks, the hugs shared on improved plays, the warmth of meat buns after practice, Shouyou’s quiet breaths as he slept on the bus beside him after practice matches and the small smiles given as they played volleyball because they were _together_ , doing something they _loved_.  

Was it weird that his fondest memories were because of volleyball?

“That better not have been a lucky shot, dumbass!” he called out.

“Shut up!!”

 

##

 

“I’m going to put you in the reserves.”

Shouyou jumped up in excitement, and Tobio automatically pulled him down to his previous seat without a word, wanting to hear the coach talk without having to listen to his best friend’s joyful exclamations.  It was only a little less than two months until the Interhigh and the coach had called them all to a meeting after their usual practice to discuss the player rotation. He nudged Shouyou in the side to calm him down. The other boy immediately latched onto his arm. Tobio rolled his eyes before turning back to the coach.

“You’ve been improving these past few months,” the coach continued, unperturbed. “I’m willing to overlook the fact that your serves and receives still aren’t up to the standards I like my players to be in for your quick with Kageyama. It’ll be our trump card.”

They nodded.

“I need you two to keep at it. Make sure it’s at the best it can be by the start of the competitions.”

“Osu!”

The coach turned to the others.

“As for the rest of you, I’ll be incorporating Hinata’s training regime with yours. I expect it will bring even more improvement to all of you.”

There were groans all around. They exchanged grins.

 

##

 

_Why isn’t anything working?! Why can’t we get through them?!_

Toss. Spike. Block.

Left, two blockers. Right, open, no—he can’t attack. Weak spiking power, won’t get through.

Libero? Out. Receivers—no. Too close, too close.

Run, run— **there**!

Toss. Miss.

“Move faster!” he barked, eyes on the ball.

_Where—where—where’s the ball?!_

Receive! Receive!

Toss. _Miss_ —

“JUMP FASTER!!!!” he demanded.

Get the ball. Get the ball!!!

 “Calm down, Kageyama. You’re not helping!”

_I can’t lose now. I promised—_

 

##

 

“This is the last time I’ll ask you. Will you come with me, Tobio?”

“No.”

His mother sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. The kitchen air felt hot and oppressive, the warm summer sun setting down and casting shadows through the window.

“Why not?” she questioned, looking at him.

He shrugged.

“This is about Shou-chan, isn’t it?” she asked, tone weary but amused.

“Sweetheart,” she reached out to take his hand in hers. “I know you’re best friends and I know you don’t want to be separated but sooner or later it _will_ happen.”

“But it doesn’t have to be now, does it?” he stated, taking his hand away and standing up.

“Tobio…”

“Why do you even have to go anyway?” he asked, looking his mother in the eye, feeling frustrated and confused. “That bastard’s—”

“ _Tobio!”_

“—still sending us money, right? You don’t need to work.”

 _You don’t need to leave_ , he wanted to say but couldn’t get it passed through the lump in his throat.

His mother’s gaze turned sad and Tobio _hated_ it, hated seeing it back on her face after it had finally disappeared, just like he’d hated seeing it every day years after his father walked out on them. She reached out to frame his face in her gentle hands, eyes soft.

“Honey, that money is meant for _you_. Your father still loves you no matter what may happened between us. I don’t want to take it from you and I don’t want to keep depending on him. I don’t want it. I’m still young, the company I used to work for has offered me my previous position and I intend to take it. Besides, your college education won’t be cheap.”

“I’ll work hard to get a sports scholarship,” he declared. “I can do it.”

She smiled and Tobio felt his chest constrict.

“I know you can. I believe in you, Tobio. But I’d rather we have some money saved up, okay?”

Seeing that she wasn’t about to relent on the issue, he nodded reluctantly. With a deep breath, she let go of him and stood up.

“Well, now that we’ve established that you’re not coming with me, I need to make arrangements with the Hinatas.”

 

##

 

Tobio watched Iwaizumi and Oikawa argue, slightly unnerved by the look on Oikawa’s face earlier. He didn’t understand what he’d done or said to earn such a look. Was he not allowed to ask the seniors for advice? Was that how volleyball clubs or clubs in general worked?

‘I’ll ask again tomorrow,” he decided. ‘Maybe he’ll change his mind.’

Resolute, he turned to head back to the club room and was surprised when he found Shouyou behind him, arms crossed.

“Shou, what is it?”

Shouyou tilted his head, saying nothing. He had that weirdly intense look on his face and Tobio felt a pinprick of uncomfortability. It wasn’t usually directed at him and for the first time he felt a smidge of sympathy for the people who had suffered it before.  Only a tiny, microscopic smudge though.

“What?” he snapped, feeling his hackles rise after a few more moments of staring.

“Let’s go home.” Shouyou said instead of answering, turning around to leave. Tobio followed.

The walk towards the clubroom was silent and continued as they took their customary showers and changed into their school uniforms. The silence wasn’t really uncomfortable or anything, only thoughtful on Shouyou’s part. Tobio could sense that his best friend was working though a problem that was bothering him enough to quiet him and he didn’t want to interrupt. He missed the chatter, though.

They were halfway through the journey to the station when Shouyou spoke up, startling Tobio out of the pleasant blankness his mind was in when going through motions long memorized.

“Is Oikawa-senpai that good? Good enough that you’d go through all the trouble to learn from him?”

Tobio glanced at him, puzzled.

“Yeah. They say he’s the best setter in the prefecture.”

“But he couldn’t even beat Shiratorizawa’s ace, right? He couldn’t be _that_ great.” his best friend said, now looking peeved.

He stopped mid-stride, frowning at the other boy. _What was up with him?_

“What is this really about?” he asked.

“What? Nothing!” Shouyou denied, shifty-eyed.

_Bullshit._

“Tell me.” He demanded. “It’s got something to do with me, right?”

“No! It’s nothing!”

“Shou.” A note of warning.

Shouyou opened his mouth to no doubt spout more denials but paused at when he saw Tobio’s expression. He heaved a sigh, staring at the ground, and mumbled his answer. Irritated, Tobio snapped.

“What?! Quit mumbling and tell me properly!!”

Eyes flashing, Shouyou blurted out, “You’ve been staring at him and obsessing for weeks now! I don’t like it!”

Tobio couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’re _jealous_?!”  he asked incredulously, watching red creep up his best friend’s face and to the tips of his ears.

Shouyou didn’t reply, lips turned down into a pout and eyebrows into an uncharacteristic scowl. Impossibly, infuriatingly, Tobio felt his heart flutter at how seriously, _seriously_ dumb Shouyou was and _why did he like the guy in the first place anyway?_

For reasons unknown to him and he suspected would forever remain a mystery, Shouyou was _possessive_ of him. Forget about clinginess, but possessiveness? He really couldn’t figure it out no matter how much he’d tried to over the years. Shouyou didn’t like it if Tobio’s attention was on anyone else but him, turning vicious and lashing out, and although he’d gotten better at it as they’d grown up, there were still times it would flare up and make a mess of things, like now. Shouyou’s constant demand of his attention had troubled their parents so much they’d actually had Shouyou go to a therapist for it, which hadn’t really resulted in any improvement whatsoever because he was stubborn and thick headed, like the idiot that he was. The only thing that had worked was when Tobio started ignoring him whenever he acted up and hadn’t _that_ been a revelation?

Tobio sighed.

“Dumbass. You’re so ridiculous.”

The pout turned down even further and _why was this life?_

“Bakageyama! You can’t call me that when you’re as much of an idiot as I am!”

“You’re so dumb, like really dumb.” Tobio said, ignoring his outburst. “I don’t even know why I’m friends with you. So dumb.”

“Stop saying that!!!”

“Dumbass Hinata!”

Shouyou stared at him, caught off guard by the tone of his voice.

“Stop being stupid.”

_There’s no one more important than you._

The other boy’s eyes widened in realization, then sparkled with so much joy Tobio could see metaphorical hearts in his eyes. _Embarrassing._

“C’mon. I’ll treat you some to meat buns.”

Shouyou cheered and Tobio felt his heart warm.

 _Seriously_ , why were they even friends?

 

##

 

_—faster, faster, FASTER—_

_—have to get better, have to—_

_—I have to win can’t lose now I caN’T—_

_—can’tlosecan’tlosecan’tloseSHO—_

The sound of the ball hitting the ground, emptyempty _empty_ —

**There was no one there.**

##

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooooo:
> 
> 1\. I'm sorry  
> 2\. English is haaaaaaaaard  
> 3.I may have gotten overboard. Yandere!Hinata is a thing for me. Barely managed to restrain myself from going all the way.  
> 4\. I love long-suffering!Tobio so much I may have OOC-ed him. I am sorry.  
> 5\. Writing is hard. *sobs*  
> 6\. I didn't make a mistake writing this, right?  
> 7\. Hopefully there aren't any glaring errors in grammar/typos. If there are, please tell me so I could remedy it ASAP. (I might edit it all the way anyway once I've actually gotten enough sleep.)  
> 8\. I am so so so sorry.  
> 9\. OH GOD I JUST REALIZED I HADN'T MENTIONED THE LITTLE GIANT AT ALL. (╬⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾ Д ⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾) 
> 
> Edit: Okay, added it in as well as some minor edits. Can't believe I forgot all about Hinata's one and only Idol though!!


End file.
